Elvis Presley’s Second Television Show…’The Milton Berle Show’
Elvis Presley’s Second Television Show…’The Milton Berle Show’
In the clip above, you can see the debut of “Blue Suede Shoes” that Elvis performed from the deck of the aircraft carrier, the USS Hancock in San Diego on April 3, 1956. Below is a picture of one of four RCA TK41s there to shoot it in color.
Following the six week stint on ‘The Dorsey Brothers Stage Show’,
Elvis’ next television appearances were on ‘The Milton Berle Show’ on April 3 and June 5. 1956. On April 3, he opened with “Heartbreak Hotel”. Still in in San Diego, Elvis performs concerts on April 4 and 5. Later the San Diego Police Chief announces that if Elvis Ever returns to his city and performs in the way that he did…he will be jailed for disorderly conduct.
Elvis’ second appearance on ‘The Milton Berle Show’ was on June 5 at the NBC Studios in Hollywood as we see below.
Some call this one of his most controversial performances. It was also Elvis at his best. The next day, the press nicknamed him ‘Elvis the Pelvis’. Many described his act by comparing it to a striptease. Jack Gould of The New York Times declared, “Mr. Presley has no discernible singing ability”, while John Crosby of the New York Herald Tribune called Elvis “unspeakably untalented and vulgar”.
About 10 days later, Berle called Colonel Parker to tell him that based on the ‘hundreds of thousands of ‘pan’ letters’ he had received following the show that “you have a star on your hands”.
Enjoy and share! – Bobby Ellerbee
Am I seeing that right? Is that a color camera?
The TK-41 on a crane is always totally classy. Much more so then the “jibs” of today.
I gather this was a live remote since professional videotape recorders had not yet been introduced.
Another shot of the TK41 on the Houston Fearless 30B crane.
At the open of the show there was a line “The Milton Berle show is presented in compatible color by RCA on NBC”